In the operation of public transit services, it is desired to provide oneman operated buses or rail cars with passenger-operable door-opening controls at door of a vehicle remote from the operator's post. In known arrangements, the vehicle operator has within convenient reach a multi-position electro-pneumatic controller. This controller enables him simultaneously to render the vehicle incapable of movement and to either operate a remote door, or to place the electro-pneumatic door operating system of the vehicle in condition for enabling a passenger to open the door through bodily contact or by contact of articles carried by him with switching mechanism preferably mounted on the door. The door operating system is designed also to deprive the passenger of the option of opening the door when the vehicle is in motion. Such doors are commonly constructed in sections which part in the middle with the door-opening switching mechanism mounted along vertical meeting edges of the door sections. In the form herein contemplated, any such door-opening mechanism includes a vertically extending touch bar of which slight movement relative to the door actuates a switch for closing a door-opening circuit. Normally, the electro-pneumatic door opening system is arranged to operate on a cycle including door-shutting after a small time interval but to start a new cycle whenever the door-opening switching mechanism is engaged.
Objects of the invention are: to provide simple trouble-free touch-bar switching mechanism for activating electrically-operated door-mechanisms of any type of door; to provide such mechanism in a form easy to assemble and to mount on mass transit vehicle doors; to provide mechanism which is responsive to a light exterior force application from any lateral direction; and to provide mechanism of the foregoing objects in accordance with a simple design which can be manufactured at relatively low cost within this product field.